Mohawk State Forest
Managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
1,347 acres4.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Doncram · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Goshen
23% of Goshen’s land is conserved: 6,535 acres
463 acres are parks and preserves, 145 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Mohawk State Forest (4.2 mi), Town Open Space (East Street, South) (0.7 mi). 30% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #94 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
6,535 acres · of 43.6 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
463 ac
145 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,654 ft
Ivy Mountain
Lakes & rivers
16
2 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Goshen?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Goshen have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Goshen is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #94 of 155 in Connecticut. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Goshen’s overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical CT town 15% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · CT 1.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land145 acres of park per 1,000 residents (463 acres) · CT 22 · U.S. 13AParks close to home30% of residents within a half mile of a park · CT 57% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 77%
LessMore
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 40%
Connecticut towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Goshen’s 23% is ahead of 75% of Connecticut towns, while its trails per square mile lead 5% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Mohawk State Forest, with 4.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Town Open Space (East Street, South)
Nature preserve
72 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
John A. Minetto State Park
Nature preserve
253 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Richard Croft Mem. Preserve (Ct Audubon Society)
Nature preserve
196 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 8 parks & preserves
Mohawk State Forest1,347 acres · 4.2 mi of trail · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DirectionsTown Open Space (East Street, South)72 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsCamp Cochipianee32 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
John A. Minetto State Park253 acres
Richard Croft Mem. Preserve (Ct Audubon Society)196 acres
DirectionsIvy Mountain State Park51 acres
Town Open Space (Beach Street)3 acres
Town Open Space (Flora Road)1 acres
Who protects it
6,535 conserved acres
23% of Goshen’s land. Who manages Goshen’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,431 ac
Other state land919 ac
State conservation797 ac
Private owners390 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)154 ac
Town or city127 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government12 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,910 acUnknown Easement · 1,748 acState Resource Management Area · 1,424 acState Conservation Area · 951 acState Other or Unknown · 628 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,305 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 117 of 151 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goshen Wildlife Area State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 1,579 | Unknown |
| Mohawk State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,361 | Unknown |
| Unknown Unknown | Not recorded | 315 | Unknown |
| John A. Minetto State Park State Park | Not recorded | 247 | Unknown |
| Goshen Land Trust Private Conservation | Not recorded | 191 | Unknown |
| Pie Hill Marsh Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 89 | Unknown |
| Town Open Space (East Street, South) Local Park | Not recorded | 72 | Unknown |
| Unspecified State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 55 | Unknown |
| Goshen Land Trust Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 54 | Open |
| Ivy Mountain State Park State Park | Not recorded | 51 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
32 places to go in Goshen
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Goshen
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Goshen
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Goshen
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Goshen
Marshepaug Falls
DirectionsPeaks in Goshen
Ivy Mountain1,654 ft elevation · In Ivy Mountain State Park
DirectionsBrass Mountain1,611 ft elevation
DirectionsBartholomew Hill1,588 ft elevation
DirectionsBeech Hill1,483 ft elevation
DirectionsRoberts Hill1,430 ft elevation
DirectionsLucas Hill1,411 ft elevation
DirectionsBurr Mountain1,394 ft elevation
DirectionsSchool Hill1,394 ft elevation
Directions7 more peaks
Pie Hill1,352 ft elevation
DirectionsMilton Hill1,339 ft elevation
DirectionsTown Hill1,335 ft elevation
DirectionsTibbals Hill1,322 ft elevation
DirectionsBrush Hill1,266 ft elevation
DirectionsRebekahs Hill1,227 ft elevation
DirectionsLookout
DirectionsCampgrounds in Goshen
Plus 1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 16 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 9.8 mi
Mountain View Trail1.1 mi
Number 4 Trail1.1 mi
South Loop0.8 mi
Fox Brook Trail0.5 mi
North Loop0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Cunningham PondreservoirDog PondGillette ReservoirreservoirHatchaloosie ReservoirreservoirHoover PondreservoirIvy Mountain PondreservoirKussell PondLitchfield ReservoirreservoirNorth PondreservoirOcain PondReuben Hart ReservoirreservoirTyler LakereservoirWest Side PondpondWhist PondreservoirWildcat PondWoodridge Lakereservoir
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
11Tennis
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Goshen: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 43 | 56 | 67 | 74 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 59 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.0 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Goshen →
Next door
Goshen and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goshen | 23% | 0.5 | 145 | 30% | A− |
| Cornwall | 44% | 1.2 | 225 | 42% | A |
| Torrington | 22% | 0.8 | 47 | 69% | A |
| Norfolk | 50% | 1.1 | 1,003 | 53% | A |
| Litchfield | 36% | 0.9 | 39 | 44% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Goshen
Where can I hike in Goshen?
The longest trail networks: Mohawk State Forest, 4.2 miles; Town Open Space (East Street, South), 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Goshen is conserved land?
23% of its land, against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Goshen’s trails?
Mohawk State Forest and Town Open Space (East Street, South) don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Goshen?
18,638 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Goshen or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 464 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Goshen have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #94 of 155 in Connecticut. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Goshen neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →